Gate-operating gear for dumping vehicles



April 21, 1931. A. P. ARMINGTON GATE OPERATING GEAR FOR DUMPING VEHICLES Filed Feb. 13, 1929 INVENTOR Patented Apr. 21, 1931 UNITED (STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR P. RMINGTCNQCE wILLoUenBY, onrmnssrenon TO THE EUCLID CRANE & 'I-IOIST COMPANY, OF EUCLID, oIIIo, n conronnrron CE OHIO GATE-OPERATING GEAR DUMPING VEHICLES Application filed February 13, 1929. Serial No. 339,615.

This invention relates to gate-operating gear for dumping vehicles, ofthetype where inthegates-of the vehicle body are controlled by cable means secured with a drum, the drum being rotatable to close the gates by oscillating or pumping motion of operating handle means havingratchet and pawl driving connection with the'drum, additional means being provided to prevent reverse rotation of the drum, and-release handle means being associated with the pawl of the retaining means whereby the drum and thus the gates may be released for dumping of the load.

Itis desirable and an object of my invention to so arrange the parts that the actuating handle by which the drum is caused to wind up the cable to close the gates and which is conveniently in the form of a lever, is so arranged that the drum load is picked up by the same on the downward strokes of the lever, the lever being free through the upward strokes thereof owing to its ratchet'and pawl typeof driving connection.

In order that a minimum of space be occupied by the gear, it is desirable that the actuating lever in idle position be "dependent relative to its ratchet wheel, as at the end of its working stroke. the gates are completely'closed before the actuating lever completes its downward stroke so that the lever will not lie in depending position unless intentionally adjusted thereto by the operator. When the'drum is released to dump the load the ratchet wheel of the ac- V tua-ting lever immediately moves with great force and speed in the direction to throw the operating lever, if not disengaged from the wheel, outwards and upwards from depending position or upwards from outstanding position; whereby serious injury to the operator if in the path of the lever might result.

It is a further object of my invention, therefore,'to provide means whereby disengagement of the actuating lever from its ratchet wheel is positively insured before release of the release handle pawl; and this regardless ofthe position of the actuating lever.

Theex act nature of my invention together with further objects and advantages thereof will be apparent from the following Clescrip- However, occasionallytion taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is an end viewof a portion of a dumping vehicle body showing the principal parts of my gear mounted thereon; Figs. 2 and 3 are detailsections as in the plane of line 23, Fig. 1, Fig. 2taken aslooking to the left Fig. 1, and Fig. Btaken as looking to the right Fig. 1; Fig. 4.- is an assembly view in elevation showing a pertinent rear portion of a dump vehicle body with my gear applied thereto.

With reference now to the drawings 1 is the rear end wall of a vehicle body having the dump gates 2 controlled by'a drum 3 mounted on the shaft 4 carried by the journals 44 secured to the wall 1, through cable means 5 passing over pulleys '6, 7 in a manner which will be well understood by one familiar with the art; whereby as the cable is wound upon the drum the gates 2 will close, and asthe drum is released the gates will be allowed to open under-the weight of the load in the body.

For the purpose of winding the drum a ratchet wheel 8 is secured upon the shaft l as by the splined connection indicated. The

wheel 8 is positioned on the shaft by a pair of collars 9, 9.

The actuating means for the wheel 8 com prises actuating handle means in the form of a lever 10 forked as at 11 to embrace the collars 9 and 9 within elongated openings 12. In the crotch of the lever is a pawlprojection 13 adjacent the periphery of the wheel 8, and the elongations of the openings 12 are such that the lever 10 may, as by means of its handle 14, be moved radial of the wheel to engage or disengage the pawl projection 13 with the teeth thereof. Thus by proper manipulation of the lever 10 the ratchet wheel and thus the drum may be moved in clockwise direction (Fig. 3) to wind the cable 5 upon the drum and thus close the gates 2. Downward swinging movement of the lever 10 is limited by the stop 1a.

For preventing reverse motion of the drum I provide additional pawl means which may include the additional retaining and release ratchet wheel 15, also secured upon the shaft 4. Mounted upon a bracket 16 securedwith the end wall 1 is release handle means 17 in the form of a lever pivoted with the bracket at 18 for movement in the plane ofthe wheel 15. The lever 17 is slotted as at 19 to receive anced preferably by gravity to such engage- V ment. Downward movement of the lever 17 ,is limited by engagement of the projection 21 thereon with the collar 9, and the lever is urged to this position by a spring 22 arranged about a bolt 23, which bolt passes through a lug 24 integral with the lever, and also through amember 25 of the bracket 16, the

spring being in compression between. the

member 25 and a head 26 on the lower or free endof the bolt. r

- Thus as the drum is actuated by thelever 10,the position to which the drum is' rotated will be maintained against the load on the cable 5,'by engagement of the pawl 20 with the ratchet wheel 15. Likewise raising of the lever 17 against the spring 22 will raise thev pawl 20 to release the wheel 15 and'thus the drum 3, to the load.

It'will be noted, however, that asthe lever 17 is raise'd'the pawl 20 does not immediately clear its ratchet wheel. Rather, as the bolt 20a, which carries the pawl, moves upward about the pivot 18, the tendency of the wheel 15 to move clockwise Fig. 2, causes the pawl to move counterclockwise Fig. 2, so that although the wheel 15 moves as the lever 17 rises, to lower the gates, the wheel is not released from the pawlTuntil the lever has been raised suf'iciently that the pawl may be turned or flipped under by the action of the ratchet tooth with which it has been engaged.

On the lever 10 1 provide a lug 27 laterally projecting into the plane of a cam or flange 28 on the lever 17.

The flange 28, Fig.2, terminates shortof the lug 27 when the parts are in the position of Figs. 2: and 3, so that when the actuating lever isin the depending position indicated, with its pawl portion 13 clearing its ratchet wheel, the release lever 17 may be move'di'ipwardly without aflectmg the actuating lever. The lower extremity of the flange 28 1s 1n the formofa lip 286;, so located as to engage the lug 27 when the lever 10 is positioned just .shortof depending position, as with its pawl portion 13 engaging the lowest tooth of the wheel 8 which can prevent the lever 10 from dropping to the position indicated in Fig. 3. In this figure such tooth is indicated as 8a or 3 possibly 85 'so that in the lowest position of the lever 10 in which it is in engagement with- V V The intermediate portion of the flange 28 approximates a form arcuate about the shaft 1'." Thus should the lever 10 be engagedwith the ratchet wheel 8 in horizontally outstand-' ing position of the former, the 111g 27 will be engaged by the intermediate portion of lug 27 is somewhatin the nature of a camming action, the flange 28 of course moving about the pivot 18, which is well above the shaft 4:, radially of which the lever 10 must be moved under the conditions described.

The upperportion of the flange 28 isbent to form a depression 29; The location of'the depression is such that the lug 27 will fit thereinto when the lever 10 is in its upper extremity ofmovement, with its pawl portion 13 engaging the ratchet wheel 8. The depression 29 thus provides clearance means by which the lever 10 may have a longer stroke than would otherwise 'bepossible. Also however, and more important, should the lever 10 be left in such upperposition, a pull upon the leverv 17 would cause the depression portion 29 of the flange to engage the lug 27 and move the lever 10 to clear its pawl portion 13 froniits ratchet wheel 8; and this still before releaseof thewheel 15.

Should the lever 10 by any chance be in upwardly extending position but not in engagement with the ratchet teeth of the wheel 8, the upper extremity 30 of the flange will, as the lever 17 moves upwardly and again before release of the ratchetwheel 15, engage the lug 27 to swing thelever 10 outwardly and downwardly, the intermediate portion of the flange 28 preventing movement of the lever 10 to engage its pawl portion 13 with the ratchet wheel 8.

Thus should the lever 17 be pulled to release the drum 3, the leverlO if in any position other than that indicated in Fig.3, will be caused'to move to said position before release of the drum. V

The interaction of the ratchet wheel 15 with the pawl 20as the former is released, will as described move the pawloounterclockwise, Fig. 2, so that its back may'engag'e the tips of the teeth as the wheel is spun around, as the gates drop. However, the pawl being balanced to depending position, after the load has been dumped and before raising the gates a slight pull upon the lever 17 will allow the pawl to move clockwise, Fig. 2, by gravity, and by inertia past depending po-' sition and to the position indicated injFig. 2.

with pawl means arranged to engage said actuating ratchet-wheel means to rotate the same and thereby the drum, and being movable to release its pawl means from said actuating ratchet-wheel means, said release handle means being provided with a pawl to engage said retaining ratchet-wheel means to prevent reverse movement of the drum and being movable to disengage its pawl from said retaining ratchet-wheel means, and means on said release handle means and on said actuating handle means cooperable to move the latter to release its pawl means from its actuating ratchet-wheel means, by movement of said release handle means, to release its pawl means from its retaining ratchet-wheel means.

2. A gear of the class described including a winding drum and means for operating the same, and comprising actuating and retaining ratchet-wheel means, and corresponding actuating and release handle means being provided with pawl means and mounted for movement to control engagement of its pawl means'therewith, and for movement to rotate said wheel means and thereby the drum, said 7 release handle means being provided with a pawl toengage said retaining ratchet-wheel means to prevent reverse movement of the drum, said pawl being pivotally movable on said release handle means and said release handle means being mounted to move said pawl pivot toward and from said retaining ratchet-wheel means whereby relatively great movement of said release handle means is required for disengagement of its pawl from its ratchet-wheel means, and means on said release handle means and on said actuating handle means cooperable in any actuating position or" the latter to move the same to release its pawl means from its ratchet-wheel means by releasing movement of said release handle means before said retaining ratchetwheel means is released.

3. A gear of the class described including a winding drum and means for operating the same, and comprising actuating and retaining ratchet-wheel means, and actuating and release handle means, said actuating handle means being provided with pawl means arranged to engage said actuating ratchetwheel means to rotate the same and thereby the drum, and being movable to release its pawl means from said actuating ratchetwheel means, and being adapted to assume depending position when its pawl means is so released, said release handle means being provided with a pawl to engage said retain ing ratchet-wheel means to prevent reverse v movement of the drum and being movable to engage said projecting portion in any position of said actuating handle means in which the latter has actuating engagement with its ratchet wheel means, to release said engagement by releasing movement of said release handle means, said flange portion being adapted to clear said projecting portion with said actuating handle means in said depending position.

' 4. A gear of the class described including a winding drum and means for operating the same, and comprising actuating and retaining ratchet-wheel means, and corresponding actuating and release handle means said actuating handle means being provided with pawl means and mounted for movement to control engagement of its pawl means therewith, and for movement to rotate said wheel means and thereby the drum, said release handle means being provided with a pawl to engage said retaining ratchet-wheel means to prevent reverse movement of the drum, said pawl being pivotally movable on said release handle means and said release handle means being mounted to move said pawl pivot toward and from said retaining ratchet-wheel means whereby relatively great movement of said release handle means is required for disengagement of its pawl from its ratchet'wheel means, said actuating handle means having a projecting portion and said release handle means having a cam flange portion, said flange portion being adapted to engage said projecting portion in any position of said actuating handle means in which the latter has actuating engagement with its ratchet-wheel means, to release said engagement by releasing movement of said release handle means.

5. In a dump wagon having a winding drum shaft arranged along and adjacent a wall of the wagon, means for operating the shaft and including a pair of spaced ratchetwheels actuating-lever means straddling one of said wheels and having a portion bearing on said shaft between said wheels and having pawl means releasably engageable with the straddled wheel for actuating said drum therethrough, and pawl means engageable with the other ratchet wheel at a point re moved from said wall for maintaining said drum against return movement and releasable to allow said return movement, whereby said lever may have oscillating operation through an arc of movement opposite said wall and not limited by said drum maintaining pawl means.

In testimony whereof I hereby afiix my signature.

ARTHUR P. ARMINGTON. 

